Betta Imbellis Cross

[Elise]

Hey All,

Well, I'm planning a trip to go to this store that has some of the wild caught imbellis and I super want one, but I don't actually know how diffferent from regular bettas they are. I was just wondering if anyone who has had experience with the imbellis or even the smaragdina as they will have them in too...

Here are some ?s I have:

What PH level do they prefer?
What temp?
What size of housing---a one gallon?
Are the imbellis considered the peaceful betta?
Would the females gets along with my splenden females?
Could you keep more than one in a 5 gal (if not, don't get all huffy, I just wanted to make sure!!!)
Food preferences?
Any other special needs??

THank you so much!!!

 

[lljdma06]

Hey All,

Well, I'm planning a trip to go to this store that has some of the wild caught imbellis and I super want one, but I don't actually know how diffferent from regular bettas they are. I was just wondering if anyone who has had experience with the imbellis or even the smaragdina as they will have them in too...

Here are some ?s I have:

What PH level do they prefer?
What temp?
What size of housing---a one gallon?
Are the imbellis considered the peaceful betta?
Would the females gets along with my splenden females?
Could you keep more than one in a 5 gal (if not, don't get all huffy, I just wanted to make sure!!!)
Food preferences?
Any other special needs??

THank you so much!!!

I have two male imbellis in my 15g planted aquarium and they get along great. The pH is 7.00 and the temp is 78 degrees, but I wouldn't fiddle with pH to get these readings. My water is medium soft. They were quaranteened together for 3 weeks in a 3g without any conflict, though they have colored up nicely since they were introduced into a larger tank. Though they flare like betta splendens, that is usually the extent of their agression. They really are super pigs and will lounge around the top of the tank during feeding time. It did take them a few weeks to adjust and get used to things, they are a bit more skittish than splendens. My imbellis especially enjoy peas and bloodworms. There is the dominant male and the subordinate one, though they will cruise the tank together. They share the tank with harlequin rasboras, bridget rasboras, and pygmy corys. They are also heavy jumpers, so keep the tank securely covered. Based on how many fish survive my extended absence from IL, I would eventually like to keep either a trio or two pairs of imbellis.

I also would like to have some smaragdina. According to my research, they seem to be ideal for my new 36g setup. I would like three pairs of smaragdina for that tank.

Good luck and I hope you enjoy the imbellis or smaragdina you plan on getting.

 

[Synirr]

If the fish are wild-caught, I wouldn't keep them in anything smaller than a 5 gallon, personally, just for their peace of mind. You could *try* a pair in a 5 gallon, it could work out, but I've always kept my imbellis pair in a 10g with great success. In my opinion, that's the best way to keep them... in a pair. A trio would be a good option as well for a 10 gallon. They are far less aggressive and more social than splendens. A female would not get along with your splendens females as she would not fight back and they would terrorize her. Wild caught fish may be reluctant to take anything but live food for a while, so be prepared for that. I never got mine to take anything but live and frozen, and my wild male only started taking frozen after seeing a tank raised female take it. I'd recommend a heavily planted tank with plenty of hiding spots, and having tannins in the water will make them feel more at home, though it's not a must. A piece of new driftwood or some blackwater extract would do the trick